CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Talking about Johnny Manziel, the Browns approach to defense, the Cavs and Tribe:

About Johnny Manziel ...

My position against drafting Johnny Manziel was made in several stories. I'm not going to rehash the same old Pluto Hash on Johnny Football.

He did a good job in his first press conference, as I wrote. To be fair, there are reasons for taking Manziel beyond the marketing and sizzle factors. Manziel can throw, as these stats (most from ESPN Stats & Info) reveal:

1. Manziel completed 73.5 percent of his passes "from in the pocket." They weren't just short tosses as he averaged 9.7 yards per attempt.

2. His 73.5 percent from the pocket was the best among all major college QBs last season.

3. He completed 56 passes of at least 20 yards while in the pocket. Yes, he threw 12 interceptions from the pocket, but also delivered 27 touchdowns.

4. He completed 48 percent of his passes of at least 25 yards -- a very impressive stat for throwing downfield.

5. His scrambles were often productive. He ran for 27 more first downs than any other major college quarterback over the last two seasons.

6. He had the highest quarterback rating on third-down of any major college QB.

7. He had only 12 of 864 passes batted down at the line in the last two years.

8. Unlike Robert Griffin III who did have a major knee injury while at Baylor, Manziel stayed healthy enough to remain in games.

Cleveland Browns introduce Johnny ManzielFormer Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel is introduced by the Cleveland Browns at their headquarters in Berea the day after they selected Johnny Football with the 22nd pick in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft.

More Manziel ...

ESPN's Sam Kahn Jr. wrote how Manziel displayed a lot of toughness: "The adversity he faced this season was mostly of the on-the-field type and in the second half of the season, it became about his health. After a terrific start, Manziel suffered a right shoulder injury against Auburn, a throwing hand injury against Mississippi State, and he seemingly hurt his ankle against Missouri (or perhaps aggravated an earlier injury to it)."

Manziel played through it, and played well in every game except facing LSU.

Manziel said, "I haven’t missed a game. I’ve hardly missed any practices. There are times where I have been a little banged up. But at the same time I know there are times where I have to lay out and try to make a play for this team… I can only help this team if I’m healthy and if I’m able to play.”

The big question will be if he can stay on the field in the NFL, where the players are bigger, strong, faster and hit so much harder than the elite SEC.

A key will be if he can resist the urge to bolt from the pocket.

According to ESPN, he left the pocket 76 percent of the time when under pressure. That was the highest among major college QBs, where the average was 36 percent.

And he completed only 44 percent of those passes when bolting under pressure.

"Every FBS quarterback rated in the top 150 by Scouts Inc,. had a higher completion percentage against the blitz than Manziel last season," wrote ESPN's Sharon Katz.

So the Browns will have to convince Manziel to hang in the pocket longer, where he had so much success throwing the ball.

The Browns wanted Justin Gilbert for his speed and coverage ability.John Kuntz / The Plain Dealer

About Justin Gilbert ...

I felt better about the selection of cornerback from Oklahoma State after listening to Mike Pettine talk about the pick. Start with the fact that he was the first of nine defensive backs taken in the first round. The league covets athletes who can cover receivers.

Gilbert was criticized for his lack of tackling ability.

He also was praised for his speed, something prized by Pettine.

"He’s an exceptional athlete," said the coach. "He has elite man-cover skills. The shortcomings are things we feel are easily corrected through coaching."

Pettine explained that his cornerbacks have one main job -- cover wide receivers. They are not there to defend against the run.

"In our system, (the cornerback is not) primary in run support," said Pettine. "That’s very rare in our system. Our premium, when we look at and list the attributes of and say, ‘Here’s what we we’re looking for in a corner … the press-man coverage ability … the ability to eliminate a wide receiver."

Pettine wants to put Joe Haden and Gilbert on the top two receivers -- and let them defend, one-on-one.

That allows the rest of the team to aggressively rush the quarterback.

Pettine also wants turnovers, and Gilbert picked off seven passes last season

He ran back six kickoffs in his career for touchdowns.

Wonder if the Browns will use him to return kicks, which was a weak area last season.

If Gilbert is indeed the big-time cover cornerback that the Browns believe -- and they also added a first-rounder in 2015 for trading down -- the deal can look very good. Of course, if Sammy Watkins becomes a star rookie receiver for Buffalo, that will make it an interesting debate on what the Browns should have done.

In the first three rounds of the draft, there were 15 receivers selected in the first 91 picks, none by the Browns.

Yes, the Browns knew Josh Gordon was facing a suspension (perhaps for the entire season) before the draft. And they entered the draft already thin at wide receiver.

No clue why they failed to pick any in the first three rounds.

That's not a knock on the three players picked in the second and third rounds -- just curious why an obvious need was ignored.

Is it possible the Browns passed on Sammy Watkins at No. 4 because the Clemson receiver was arrested for marijuana possession in 2012? He has had no legal trouble since.

I don't know the answer.

But there were many other receivers available in the first three rounds.

Perhaps General Manager Ray Farmer has some ideas about trading for veteran receivers from other teams. But right now, they need real help at the position.

If the season opened today, the starters would be Nate Burleson (assuming he recovers from his broken arm), Greg Little and Andrew Hawkins. Travis Benjamin is coming off knee surgery.

The Indians have a real problem trying to figure out how to handle John Axford. Chuck Crow / The Plain Dealer

About John Axford ...

Manager Terry Francona has a major problem with John Axford, who has walked 13 in 14 2/3 innings. He's 9-of-11 in saves, but that is a bit deceiving.

In the month of May, he has an 11.25 ERA.

Axford was off to a solid start, but he's been a mess in his last four outings. He's lasted only three total innings, walking six and giving up six hits.

That's 12 base runners in three innings.

He also has been charged with five runs. That's why Francona removed him from the closer's role. He couldn't hold 6-2 lead in the ninth in what became the Tribe's 6-3 victory at Tampa Bay on Friday night. Francona will mix-and-match for a closer, at least for now.

Cody Allen had to pitch out of a bases-loaded situation to record the save.

Some thoughts:

1. The Tribe could close with Allen, but Francona loves how Allen can enter a game with runners on base facing a tough hitter -- and shut down the opposition. Allen has allowed only 1-of-13 inherited base runners to score.

2. Francona would prefer to keep Allen in what is called "high leverage" situations. That means he enters the game when the Tribe is in a mess and needs immediate outs.

3. Allen has a 1.84 ERA with 22 strikeouts in 14 2/3 innings compared to five walks.

4. It's possible the Indians could use Bryan Shaw as a closer. He entered the weekend with a 1.53 ERA. Shaw has never closed in his four big league seasons. The side-arming right-hander is far more effective (.198) vs. righties than lefty hitters (.292) for his career.

5. How Francona manages this situation may be a big factor in the Tribe finding a way to contend. A year ago, Axford had a 2.88 ERA when taken out of the closer's role in late April. He may be able to help in those situations again. But someone has to pitch the ninth, and Axford is failing in that role.

1. Now that Josh Tomlin has replaced Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar (3.50 ERA in his last three starts) has settled down, the Tribe's rotation has a chance to make this a very interesting summer.

2. In their last seven games heading into Saturday night, Tribe starters had a 1.69 ERA. On the year, Justin Masterson (3.86), Corey Kluber (3.48) and Zach McAllister (3.18 before Saturday) all had ERA's under 4.00.

3. It does seem that pitching coaching Mickey Callaway is having an impact again. He has helped Masterson and Salazar out of their early-season funks. A year ago, Callaway was a major influence in the rise of Ubaldo Jimenez and Scott Kazmir, along with building the confidence of Kluber.

4. Callaway preaches control, and no one embraces it quite like Kluber. In 52 innings, he has 57 strikeouts compared to only 12 walks.

5. At Class AAA Columbus, Trevor Bauer allowed only one run in his last start (7 2/3 innings). He is 4-0 with a 1.12 ERA and just waiting for a chance to join the rotation.

Michael Brantley will turn 27 on May 15, and he's having a career year.Chuck Crow / The Plain Dealer

About the Tribe ...

1. Did you notice who was second in the American League in RBI heading into Saturday night? It was Michael Brantley, with 30 runs driven in. He also has seven homers and seems ready to hit 15-20 homers for a season. That's something the Tribe has expected to happen this season.

2. Brantley will turn 27 on May 15. He is just learning to hit for power, something that happens to some players in their late 20s.

3. The Indians do think that after signing a four-year, $25 million contract extension in the spring, Brantley is even more relaxed this season. He wanted to play here and both sides worked out a deal to make that happen.

4. Brantley is batting .316 with runners in scoring position. For his career, he is .314. He is a clutch hitter, and having him in the middle of the lineup adds to his RBI totals.

5. If Carlos Santana continues to struggle, Brantley could move into the No. 4 spot and they can drop Santana down in the batting order. Brantley batted .375 with runners in scoring position last year.

6. With only one error at third, who'd have thought that Santana would be the Tribe's most consistent infielder this season? And who'd also have guessed that he'd be batting only .143 after the first six weeks of the season?

7. The Indians are working on the footwork of Yan Gomes, which they believe is behind his throwing problems. Too often, he is rushing to throw -- and doesn't have his balance. That is causing the throws to sail up high or bounce.

8. Mike Aviles plays the game with such joy, always ready to play any position where he's needed. Since taking over for the injured Jason Kipnis, Aviles is 13-of-25 (.520) while doing a good job at second base.

With the draft only about six weeks away, it's time for the Cavs to let David Griffin become the full time general manager.Thomas Ondrey / The Plain Dealer

About David Griffin ...

The NBA draft is June 26, about six weeks away.

David Griffin was elevated to "acting" general manager on February 6. That was three months ago.

So what is the delay?

The draft is coming.

Free agency opens in July, when the Cavs have to determine if Kyrie Irving will sign an extension. It's also important for the Cavs to determine if Irving wants to stay, and can he fit with Dion Waiters.

Griffin has been working on the draft, free agent options, etc.

It appears that Owner Dan Gilbert is pleased with Griffin. When firing Chris Grant and promoting Griffin, Gilbert insisted the team would improve.

The team was 17-16 after Griffin was moved up. They were 16-33 before that.

Obviously, this wasn't all due to Griffin.

But it seemed he had a positive influence on Coach Mike Brown, as the Cavs improved their scoring average by nearly five points after the change was made. Having Luol Deng (a Grant deal) and Spencer Hawes (a Griffin deal) helped.

At this point, it seems the Cavs should take the "acting" label away from Griffin and let the man go to work on the off-season with the rest of the NBA knowing that he will indeed be the man in charge.

Anderson Varejao and Matthew Dellavedova were very productive when playing with Dion Waiters.Lonnie Timmons III / The Plain Dealer

About the Cavs ...

1. What three players were the most productive for the Cavs? According to the stats, the three best were Dion Waiters, Anderson Varejao and Matthew Dellavedova. With those three on the court, the Cavs outscored the opposition by an average of 22.7 point per 48 minutes.

2. What made Waiters, Dellavedova and Varejao a special combination? The Cavs tend to play better with Varejao on the court because of his defense and rebounding. He doesn't need the ball, but has developed a good medium range shot that he can take when the 24-second clock ticks down.

3. Dellavedova turned into a mini-Varejao. He's pesky on defense, no matter if he played guard or even small forward (at only 6-foot-3). When Dellavedova didn't play, the Cavs were 3-8. And on three other games where he played only a single minute -- they were 0-3.

4. So the Cavs were 3-11 in games where Dellavedova really didn't play. And they were 30-38 when he did play. Not a big deal, but the Cavs are looking for combinations of players who fit together. Dellavedova also did a good job of throwing the ball up the court to Waiters, who then led the fast break.

5. The big issue is Irving/Waiters and how their games are so predicated on having the ball. Both like to drive to the rim. That issue is not resolved.

6. The Cavs would like to add a low-post scorer. They really don't have one. Hawes does have some inside moves and the 7-footer is strong. But the Cavs like him on the perimeter, because the center's outside shooting touch opens up the middle for Waiters and Irving to drive to the rim.

7. Hawes also does a good job moving the ball. The same is true of Varejao and Dellavedova. What the Cavs want to do find players who don't stop the offense with their constant dribbling. C.J. Miles also had some positive stats when on the floor. He is another player who tends to shoot the ball, or pass it.

8. Increased ball movement, better floor spacing and some more outside shooting are some of the needs the Cavs want to address in the off-season.

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